The Black and Sugar

CH8: Impressions

Alec stayed the night at the track, Henry and I stayed in the hotel rooms. I left Henry early in the morning, though, to go clean stalls and water buckets, and see my Sugar. Doing the chores always cleared my head. Henry had said they would take him out for a workout at about 9, but that was about three and a half hours away, so I would be alone in time to let him loose in a paddock, or out to graze without being bothered.

I got to the track and noticed not many people were out and about, only the grooms feeding horses, and the gateman. I zipped my jacket up, and walked around to the two stalls were our stallions were. Sugar's doors were both shut, along with the Black's. I opened the top door, and Sugar turned to stick his head out, nickering welcomely to me. I loved the horse's sweet attitude he'd always donned.

Sugar's warm welcome must have woke Alec, he jumped out of the stall pulling a sweatshirt over his bare chest looking around. He saw me and smiled, meandering over and putting an arm around my waist. More people were showing up, so we just looked at each other respectfully, longingly. We'd agreed though, that it would just be bad publicity for our relationship to get out, it would just get in the way of our mission here.

So instead of hiding away with him like I wanted to do, I turned away, opening the stall door and leading out my grey stallion. He kicked up his heels, happy to be free of the confinements of the stall as I led him to the empty paddocks and turned him out to run out some energy. He pranced about, running out much of his excess energy. Finally, he walked back to the fence I stood at, as if to say, "okay, mom, I'm done. Ready to go?"

I reattached the lead line and walked him into his stall, which had fresh straw, water, and grain inside. The Black's stall also had been done, but he still stood inside, his head hanging over the door, his eyes drooping low. He already seemed to have settled into his new home away from home, but he also had done a lot more racing than Sugar.

Alec was lying down on the cot in the tack stall when I walked in. He was shirtless again, his eyes shut. One opened when I walked in, and shut again quickly. I could tell he didn't get a lot of sleep the previous night, his eyelids looked droopy and tired. I sat down on a hay bale on the other side, feeling extremely tired myself. I wasn't accustomed to getting up early, but I figured I would get used to it.

Alec laid quietly for a bit while I sat, before he stood up, stretched, and sat down next to me on the bale. He reached across my lap and gently grabbed my hand, kissing my cheek calmly. He was adorable. We sat in silence together, too tired to think of something to talk about until Henry got here to work Sugar. It wasn't long, soon he was there. Obviously he couldn't sleep either, he seemed wired. "Why haven't you saddled already?" He said when he got there. We just chuckled, getting out the two horses. The plan was to have me up on Sugar today, and Alec on the Black, just pacing each other.

Horses were already out and about as we started grooming the two, and before long we had them saddled and ready to go workout. I got up on Sugar first, Alec giving me a leg up, then jumping on the Black with help from Henry.

We walked alongside each other to the track, talking. We always found something to talk about, something to argue about, something to agree on. There was always something to be said between us, never a quiet moment. The Black pranced nonstop, side passing occasionally when he was feeling especially fresh. Sugar only threw his head up every once in awhile, shaking it to be rid of the bridle. Sometimes, when he was feeling like a colt again, he would throw little fits, but they were reasonable to handle. Nothing like the Black on a bad day.

As we made our way to the track, another rider on a smaller sorrel horse jogged next to Sugar. He turned his head, nickering at the new horse. The jockey on board was small and thin, with a gaunt face, and lines showing his age. "Who's the new pony, Alec?" He asked, eyeing Sugar.

"Our newest recruit, gonna see what he has today," Alec responded as the Black half reared, trying to lunge forward. Alec easily brought him back beside Sugar, stroking his velvety neck. The jock nodded, then put his hand on my shoulder.

"And her? New girlfriend slash workout rider?" He smiled kindly, I could tell he was just kidding around with Alec. I couldn't tell who it was, but obviously he was a good friend of Alec's.

"This is Hope, she owns Sugar here, but she's a nice little rider too," Alec explained to him. "And Hope, this is..."

"Bobby Watson," he said, reaching out to shake my hand. I returned the gesture with a smile as his sorrel mount swerved into Sugar, bumping him enough to make him back up quickly, spooking from the impact. He hadn't ever been a spooky horse, but with everything around him working his nerves up, the antics didn't surprise me. Bobby steadied his horse, apologizing. "Sorry, it's one of Boldt's, has been blown up a bit and not shown discipline. Not my choice but he pays good money," he said as the sorrel began walking in a straight line again.

By now we were on the track, and Bobby excused himself to go work his horse. I started working Sugar at a smooth extended trot, Alec working the Black at a controlled canter. Horses went past us doing their own quick workouts, but I kept Sugar working slow, entirely in control, thanks to the time I'd spent breaking him to ride western.

After a good warmup, I returned to the gap in the fence, where Henry stood among other trainers, conversing. He moved away from the others when he saw me coming, and handed me a helmet. "Just in case," he advised, as I clipped the helmet under my chin, nodding and smiling. Sugar chomped at the bit as Henry held the reins.

I gathered them up as Henry let go, and listened for my instructions. "Okay, the race were aiming for is longer than I think a two year old should go, so we're gonna make this a long one. Just do an easy gallop for 3/8, then blow him out the last ¼, then just take it easy, let him find the pace for the rest of a mile. Got it?" I nodded, steering away, when he finished his instructions. "Oh, break from the gate too. We did it at home but there's nothing like working at the track."

I gave him a thumbs up, not turning back to him as I trotted steadily to the starting gate. I was anxious, but ready to finally work my horse. I looked across the track to see Alec standing still on the Black beside Henry and the trainers, he was watching too, which only made me more nervous. It was make it or break it.